The sauce is boss. I totally stole that from Sweet Baby Rays, but for real, Beurre Blanc is some serious business. And by serious, I mean it contains two of my favorite things – booze and butter. You can’t really go wrong. Except if you’re concerned about your arteries and long term health. But hey, we’re dealing with technique and hopefully eating in moderation, so a little won’t hurt you. Continue reading
This chicken roulade recipe is an oldie but goodie from my catering days at Fine Catering by Russell Morin. I’m not sure how much I’ve deviated from the original, but this is what I remember about how to make this dish. Continue reading
When someone hears the word “pesto,” they usually think of basil pesto. While basil pesto is perhaps the most popular variation of the sauce, the term pesto is actually a generic term referring to anything made by pounding (think pounding using a mortar and pestle, not pounding to make babies or something else stemming from wherever your dirty mind is going).
Tonight I’m making pesto to serve as part of the filling for my chicken roulade. I use the following ingredients – fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and if needed, some lemon juice.
Since it’s January, basil isn’t exactly all over the place, but you can still find fresh. I lucked out this afternoon and found it for $1.99 a bunch at the International Foods Warehouse at National Wholesale Liquidators in Lodi.
The slideshow below walks you through the steps to make the sauce.
Tomorrow night I’m hosting some friends for a long overdue get together. My “cousin” (I use quotations as we are family both being Greek and having grown up together, but we’re not blood related) and his girlfriend live here in Hackensack just a few building away from my own but we NEVER see each other. There is another couple they are super tight with that I also have known for years and wanted to hang out with, so we organized a get together and I agreed to host.
My cousin, God bless him, loves my cooking, and because he is always eager to see what I’m going to make next, I like to please and make some fancy shmancy stuff.
This is what I decided for the menu –
As with any dinner party, it is highly recommended to do as much as you can ahead of time. This evening I prepped the chicken, made the sauce, and blanched the vegetables. I’m going to spend the next few posts highlighting recipe by recipe.
The Accidental Chef 